Chasing Echoes
by TheWindWakersDream
Summary: The Dawnguard questline from Skyrim, with RWBY characters, and a few different conversations and moments, just to keep things fresh.
1. A Life Wrought with Havoc

**Hey guys, I know I said the next thing I uploaded would be SoI, but this story idea was just lodged in my head and I could not get it out. I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 1 – A Life Wrought with Havoc

It wasn't very easy to comprehend the scene playing out before me; fire spreading from building to building, blood running through the streets, the screams of the damned in my ears, the poop festering in my diaper, none of it was pleasant. But by far, the most unpleasant part of it all was the massive beast towering over me, maw open and teeth serrated, dripping with the blood of my family.

I was never told of the creatures of the night, I am but a baby after all, and parents don't make it a part of their day to teach their infants about nightmarish creatures like this. I found that to be a horrible choice of priorities now that I think about it, but that's not the point.

The fact that I'm about to be eaten would be the point.

The beast is getting closer; I can feel its hot, stinking breath on my face as its teeth graze my skin, I reach out to grab hold of one of its canines in my childlike naivety. Luckily, before it manages to bite my hand off, a sharp blade plunges out of the front of its skull and the beast drops dead.

"Glynda! Secure the perimeter, we've got a survivor!" I hear as a man steps over the body of the beast before picking me up off the floor. He frantically searches the area for a moment before sighing and quickly departing, running to a trio of horses and handing me over to a man with a large moustache and a pot belly. "Peter, hold onto this child while we finish off the last of the wolves, guard him with your life."

As the man runs back into the blazing village that was my home for the last four months, I look up to the man now carrying me. The man looks back and I can see a sad smile behind his facial hair. "Don't worry child, you're going to be alright…"

I respond by pooping myself and falling asleep.

I wake up to the sound of arguing and shouting, looking around I see tall stone walls and moonlight shining through a window to my left. I also notice that my diaper had recently been changed, making my mood considerably better. I focus on the shouting and recognise one of the voices as my saviour; I immediately call out to gain his attention.

"-and _another_ thing! I… oh, oh that's just _great! _Now he's crying too! Look Ozpin, I get that he's the only survivor and all, but we do not have the resources available to take care of a baby while we're fighting a war here." I don't recognise the voice of the woman speaking, but her tone upsets me, so I felt the need to notify her by calling out louder.

"I understand your concern, Glynda, now so more than ever… But you saw what I saw; you're the one who found the sword in the first place."

The woman scoffed. "Just because we found it in the same village as him, doesn't mean that he's related to him. That could be anyone's kid." I hear the man sigh as footsteps grow closer.

"Be that as it may, we can't take that chance. I'll raise him as my own if I have to, I'm not just going to leave him in Riften to grow up in an orphanage, I can see great things in his future, its best we train him while he's young and show him the way."

I see the man as he looks down at me, his brown eyes shimmering with knowledge even another adult wouldn't be able to understand, but as I stare closer, I can see a certain dullness to them, as if they've lost their light.

"You've been reading the Scroll again, haven't you? You'll go blind at this rate." The man laughs and tickles my stomach, forcing me to join him. "I can see there's no point in arguing then… In any case, we don't know the first thing about the kid, so it's best we at least give him a name. What do you think?"

The man smiles at me and I smile back. "Jaune…" He says, staring at me further, I can't help but laugh in response, finding the word to be odd in some way. "I think that'll work well…"

I agree by throwing up over myself.

* * *

I clench my hand as tightly as possible, feeling the powers of Mundus coursing through me, focusing on Geoff, the god of righteousness, I release my hand into the air and force the power out like a beacon of light. I see a glow in my hand begin to brighten until looking at it hurts my eyes, as I turn away I hear a loud pop and a sizzle. Looking into my hand, the spell was gone.

"Oh come on! That's my fourteenth try this session, what am I doing wrong, Oobleck?" I ask as I turn to the amazingly tall Wood Elf, the most religious of our order.

"You turned away Jaune; you mustn't ever look away from a spell, especially when you're forcing it out, instead of flowing it out like I _told _you to do." His robe flutters in the wind as he stands in front of the door to the balcony of the fortress. He turns to his left and nods his head. "Try doing it more like Ruby."

I follow his gaze to see a young Breton girl covered in red and black clothing, holding her hand tightly she thrusts it into the air and a small ball of light floats above her head. "Well that hardly seems fair," I announce as she turns to look at me, her burning yellow eyes shining bright even as her candlelight spell wafts in the wind. "She can't even cast Geoff's Aura, on account of her being burned alive if she did, and she's had _thousands _of years to learn this stuff, I've had eight."

Oobleck simply shakes his head as he sits down on a crate, readjusting his glasses as he does so. "Now now Jaune, that just means you've got thousands of years of catching up to do if you want to be able to fight alongside her. Now try again." I groan in annoyance as I begin to focus once more, but as I tap into my Aura, I notice how empty it is.

"Uhh, Oobleck? I'm running on fumes here, you think I could have another potion?" Oobleck simply groans.

"Jaune, I understand that you're only a novice in the art of Restoration, but surely it shouldn't drain your aura that much to cast this spell. You're an Atronach for Burnie's sake! You've got more Aura than any of us." Even as he scolds me, I can see him reaching into his knapsack for another potion.

"And that also means I can't regenerate any of it, so unless Ruby wants to train some Destruction magic on me, this is all we've got." Ruby's eyes light up immediately.

"Ohh! Can I? Can I?!" She calls out as she lights up a fireball in her hand. I only glare at her in response.

"Well we _are _out of potions, and as much as I'd like to see Jaune run around attempting to put out his pants, I'm afraid we'll simply have to call it a day." I sigh, both out of relief for being done with the damn training for the day, and out of annoyance for _not _being able to do anything with the school of magic. I watch as Oobleck walks down the spiral staircase to his research lab, probably to talk with Burnie, while Ruby walks up to me and smiles.

"Hey Jaune, I'm going to head to the den and feed Zwei, you wanna come with?" I smile at the thought of Ruby giving that monster food, but I also remember Glynda telling me to meet her at the range as well. I cant help but sigh, knowing it would mean certain death to refuse the older woman.

"Sorry Ruby, but Glynda wants me, and you know what she can be like." I can almost see a hint of sadness in her lifeless eyes as Ruby nods and walks down the staircase without me, but I shake off the thought and blame ten year old puberty for it.

Before I follow after her, I take a glance off the edge of the fortress and through the trees to the west to look out on the land of Atlas. Riften could just be seen over a low hanging slope, and further in the distance stood the Throat of the World, tallest mountain on Remnant. Admiring the view for a few more moments, I quickly turn around and make my way down the stairs, past the armoury and into the archery range. As expected, Glynda was already waiting for me.

"You're late." She spoke in her high and mighty High Elf tone, barely acknowledging my presence.

"I'm half an hour early." I reply, already dreading my choice of words.

Glynda tightens the string on a small bow, still choosing not to look my way. "You're half an hour early to the time I told you to arrive, yes. But I arrived before you, and if I'm left waiting, then that means you're late." I manage to hold in my sigh, knowing she would scold me for showing emotion as well, and simply look down at the table of odds and ends she was fiddling with.

"So why exactly am I here? I thought I was already set on how to use a crossbow…" Glynda's mood seemed to sour further at hearing my question.

"As did I, but Ozpin told me that at some point in time, somewhere in the future, for some reason, you'll also need to know how to use a bow and arrow as well. So I'm left to teach you everything all over again." As she finishes her sentence, Glynda hands me a child sized wooden bow and a quiver of arrows. "I've set up some targets on the other side of the clearing, let's see you try to shoot them and we'll go from there."

Following her instructions, I grab hold of the arrow with my middle and index fingers, and then pull back until the string is taught; I hold my breath, aim and fire. As the arrow flies through the air, I see it careen off course and explode on a rock sitting six feet away from my target.

"Huh…"

Glynda rolls her eyes and grabs a hold of my arms. "'Huh' indeed. Your stance is all wrong. You don't stand as if you're about to loose a bolt from a crossbow, you stand sideways, keep your legs shoulder length apart, hold your left arm out until it's just short of being straight, and you grab the string, not the arrow. Now try again, and keep the arrow in line with your eye, so that when you pull back you're touching your cheek with your hand. Oh, and make sure you don't hold your left arm too loose or else you might cut yourself with the string of the arrow."

I blink slowly as I attempt to process the information that had just been shoved down my throat. I keep my stance straight; arms level and grab the string. That was about all I could remember as I pull back and aim, letting fly another arrow. I watched with baited breath as it flew and wedged itself into the target. "Alright! That one was way better."

Glynda nodded and spoke of her agreement, although her calculating eyes said something very different. "Alright, again."

I could tell it was going to be a very long day.

By the time I was done with archery for the day, it was nearing midnight and my elbow was bleeding, no one would part with any potions and I was still out of Aura. I just had to deal with it as I crawled into bed for rest. Before I could even grab a book from my bedside table though, I hear footsteps and see a small light from the hallway. Ozpin entered the room, his eyes closed to protect them from the light he himself was carrying. "Good evening Jaune, how was today's training?"

I hold in my groan as I recall the day's events and fake a smile for the man. "It was great dad, I made plenty of progress. Nearly cast Geoff's Aura and I got a few bullseyes with Glynda." Ozpin gives a warm smile as he sits down next to me, his eyes still shut tight.

"That's great Jaune, soon you'll learn all the schools of magic, and even the greatest swordplay the world will ever see, just remember to take it all one step at a time, and don't be afraid of failure, after all, what do I always tell you…?" I can't help but roll my eyes and smile.

"Failure isn't the end; it's just the next step towards success."

"That's my boy, now you get some rest, another big day ahead of you tomorrow, and who knows, maybe you'll actually be able to cast a spell." Despite his closed eyes, I could tell Ozpin saw my glare I gave him from his comment.

"And maybe you'll actually be able to see." It was also obvious he wanted to give me one too.

"Goodnight Jaune, I'll see you tomorrow." Ozpin stood up and began to leave.

"Goodnight dad, I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

I stare at the small white ember burning in my hand as I failed for the thirtieth time that day to cast a fireball spell. I could feel the pitiful look Ruby was giving me as her target stood burning in the field across from us. "Destruction magic is always the hardest to learn… just be glad you know how to use the other schools at least…" I extinguish the ember and turned to her slowly, giving silent thanks for her being able to put up with me all this time.

"You're the most optimistic person here Ruby, it really helps…" Ruby just smiled and softly punches my shoulder.

"Anytime." Looking at the small girl in her long cape, I found it funny to think she was the oldest of all of us. Vampires aren't hard to come by, especially for an order that hunts them, but a fifteen year old vampire with very unique looking eyes was a rare sight. She was ancient for vampire standards, living even back before the Dynasty was born in the heart of Vale. She had many stories to tell and I was always fond of listening to them, whenever I had a break from training.

But the comedic thing to it all was her size, back when I was ten I was just a few inches shorter than her, now that I'm nineteen years old and _very _tall for an Imperial, I absolutely towered above the girl.

I could never understand her motives though… Why would a vampire hunt other vampires? She never gave me a definitive answer and by the Nine would Ozpin never talk in anything but riddles, so it was all but impossible to figure out. Still though, as adorable as she looked, I knew better than anyone not to cross her path, the vampires we faced on the field didn't have that knowledge and they paid a very steep price.

All in all, I couldn't imagine a better partner to fight alongside with in my quests to come. "Jaune, Ruby! Come to the main hall, we've got a new mission!" I hear from the doorway leading inside, whatever it was, it sounded important. Without a word between us, Ruby and I hurry inside to see what was happening. Once we arrived, all I could see were Glynda, Port and Oobleck scurrying around with boxes while Ozpin stood in the middle of the room, a slender white object in his hand.

"Ozpin, what's going on?" I hear Ruby ask from next to me while I stare at the object in Ozpin's hands.

"As much as I hate to admit it Ruby, I'm afraid our enemies are making a bold move. We've been spying on their scouts for as long as I can remember, and they've finally reported back to their leader about a very important artefact within a crypt, Dimhollow they called it." I felt myself well with uncertainty, knowing they were moving faster than we expected would never be a good thought…

"Then let's get down there and kick their butts." Ruby said without skipping a beat, forcing Ozpin and I to smile.

"If only it were that easy…" Ozpin said solemnly. "I'm afraid this is a solo mission, for you Jaune." I blinked slowly.

"Wait, what? Solo? As in, _alone?_" Ozpin simply nodded his head, handing me the thing he was holding this entire time.

"This was found in your village the night we found you. I know for a fact you're ready to use it." Looking down, I can see that the object was a sheath, with a golden sword inside of it. Carefully pulling it out, I hear Ruby hiss and practically teleport to the far end of the room. I immediately sheathe it and turn to her.

"Ruby, are you alright?!" She doesn't say a word and glares at Ozpin as he puts a hand on my shoulder.

"That weapon is called Dawnbreaker, it burns vampires better than the sun ever could. That's one reason why I can't allow Ruby to go with you, the other… well; you'll figure that out soon." I watch Ruby back away from the wall with an apologetic look on my face, she noticed it and smiles at me, walking back over, she gave me a hug and kept her hands as far from the weapon as possible.

"It's alright Jaune, I'm fine. And hey, you won't be completely alone, Zwei can go with you as well, can't he Ozpin?" I looked over to him and Ozpin smiled at me, I returned his smile with a look of dread. Before I could say anything, the man whistled loudly and large footsteps could be heard barrelling towards the main hall from another room.

"Oh come on…" I utter under my breath as Zwei charges me and throws me to the ground. The Frost Troll held me down by my shoulders and just before his tongue managed to hit my face, Ruby pulled him off of me. I silently gave thanks to each of the Nine one by one.

"Bad Zwei, bad! Not today, you have a mission today." The troll looked to the ground guiltily before the word mission reached his ears; he then gave a confused look to his master. "You get to eat some vampires." By this point, I was sure if trolls had tails, Zwei would be wagging his right now.

I turned away from the troll getting a pat on the head to look at Ozpin. "This sheath looks unique in some way too; does it have magical properties as well?" Ozpin laughed and took the weapon from my hand.

"Not magical, no. Mechanical. Glynda created it a few years back, simply press this switch on the side and…" The sheath made a small clicking noise as the sides of it expanded and turned itself into a shield. I stared in awe at the contraption. It was a kite shield, with visible plates on the front for when it contracts back into a sheath. The symbol of the Dustguard was emblazoned on the front, and I couldn't have felt more proud to be a member of the group. "It's yours." Ozpin said with a proud tone to his voice. I spoke my thanks as I took the weapon from his hand, pressed the button to turn it back into a sheath and clipped it to my belt. "Alright… what's my mission?"

After the briefing and the long wagon ride with Zwei, I was eventually let off next to Whiterun, the city nestled in the heart of Atlas. It would still be a very long trek to reach my destination, and I felt a tonne heavier with the crossbow on my back, bolts at my waist, sword and shield at my side and satchel of potions over my shoulder, not to mention the light armour. But Zwei's constant sniffing and scuttling helped ease the weight on my shoulders as I trudged onward through the marshes west of Whiterun.

As we snuck past a Giants camp, I heard a loud growling noise next to me, looking over I saw that Zwei was staring at something over the horizon. "What is it boy?" I whisper to him, but he gave no reply, instead he ran over the rising slope next to us and pounced on something that would definitely regret being there. Not five seconds later did he return with a rabbit in his mouth and what I could only assume was a happy smile on his face. I rolled my eyes and turned around to come face to face with a brown object hanging in front of me.

Looking it over I saw it appeared to be a giant club, and as it rose into the air and I followed its arc, I saw a Giant connected to it. "Zwei… run." He didn't follow the command immediately, but once he saw me bounding over the hill and as far from the reaches of the Giant as possible, he chased after me as if we were having an innocent race. I gave no head to the fact that the giant wasn't following us, and merely let my adrenaline take hold as I continued to run as fast and far as possible.

When I finally stopped, night had fallen on the land and I could only collapse on the hard floor next to a tree. Zwei happily panted as he stopped and sat down next to me. I gave him a soft pat on the head and he lay down on the grass for a moment before closing his eyes, the blood all over his face was proof enough to me that he ate the rabbit on the way over. I was hot, sticky, sweaty and thirsty. I dropped my water on the way over, I was too tired to make a fire and I couldn't even bother with seeing if anyone or thing was nearby, instead, I just closed my eyes and joined Zwei in his rest.

I awoke to the sound of voices nearby, sharp and relatively high pitched, it was easy to tell that they were High Elves. "Why do we have to be the ones guarding the perimeter? Shouldn't we be in there securing the artefact, or at least helping kill stuff?" One of the men asked as he walked by tree I had rested against, managing to somehow miss the giant mess of fur next to it.

"I'd love to be in there killing some stuff too, but we have our orders. Now shut up and walk in a circle around the place will you? You don't want to draw any unwanted attention." The man nodded his head and continued on his cycle while the other man turned around to walk past Zwei and I again. It wasn't hard to tell that he was a vampire, ignore the skin and the teeth and the eyes all you want; they all wear the same stupid armour.

Raising from my spot, I unsheathe Dawnbreaker and sneak up behind the man, his heightened senses clearly alerted him to my presence when he turned around and unsheathed his own sword. I was just quicker though, and managed to nick his stomach with the tip of my blade. His scream of agony alerted his friend, who quickly decided to join us, but all he found when he arrived was a blast of blue flames rapidly approaching him as he too was set ablaze. I watched in awe as he burned alive and stared down at my sword.

'Ozpin never mentioned it could do _that…_' I thought as I sheathed the blade and searched the piles of ash for anything that mightn't have been burned. Zwei woke up during the commotion and sniffed the ashes by my side, but grew bored of the dead bodies and began to walk around the area we now found ourselves in. Funnily enough, the only thing that wasn't burned was a piece of paper, describing the orders to protect the perimeter of Dimhollow Crypt while their superiors worked inside.

"Oh, hey Zwei, we're here already." I said while tossing the note to the ground and following after the troll. "Where do you think the entrance… would…" I couldn't manage to finish my own sentence as I found Zwei chewing on a rock next to the entrance to the crypt. He looked up at me with a confused expression on his face and I silently walked passed him, ignoring the fact he beat me to it.

Upon entering the dark cave, I cast a small Candlelight spell and made note of how much Aura I had left, I then followed the natural path down to a very man-made gate blocking my entrance. Next to the gate was a small lever, I of course pulled it and the gate opened up. "That seemed… really pointless." I uttered as Zwei followed me into the main room. Before I could mock the interior designers further, I noticed voices on the other end of the room.

While hiding behind a small rock, I dispelled my Candlelight and closed my eyes in attempt to determine just how many people there were. "I mean seriously, why do we have to guard this one room? No one's coming in here and everything's dead already, why can't we be inside finding the stupid artefact?" Two people at least, and I think those light footsteps are a dog too.

"Hey, just be glad you're not outside, those poor idiots have to deal with random wildlife _and _the sun? No thank you." The two vampires laughed, but were cut off when a third voice scolded them.

"Oh shut it you two, just walk around in circles for a while will you? I'm sick of listening to your banter." No more words were spoken from then on, so I readied my crossbow and loaded it with a bolt. Taking aim at the dog in the left corner of the room, I fired at the beast and hit it right in the left eye, killing it instantly. No one noticed its demise.

Turning to the right corner of the room, I saw the cranky vampire alone with her thoughts. After loading the bolt and seeing that the other two vampires would notice the shot, I turned to Zwei and made sure my voice was hushed. "Zwei: Kill." The Frost Troll was bounding for the two vampires by the time I turned around to aim for the third. I closed an eye, held my breath and fired. The woman turned her head when she heard the sound of her associates screaming, but luckily I had aimed for her heart, and the shot connected. All the enemies in the room were dead, and Zwei had some bodies to play with, giving me enough time to think.

After making my way across the room, I saw another iron gate blocking my path. A quick glance to the side of the room I had just stood at revealed another small lever. I sighed and walked over to it, upon pulling the metal pole, the gate opened and the path was made clear. "Seriously, who designs these things?"

* * *

After making my way through uncountable rooms and watching bodies dissolve into the mouth of a troll for hours on end, I had finally made it into what seemed to be the last chamber, or at least where the artefact lay hidden based on what the leader of the vampires was talking about.

I stood in a stone room, a statue holding a burning bowl in the middle of it and a stairway leading into a massive cave at the end of it. Upon looking through the doorway and out into the cave, I could see the master vampire, a cohort of his and a thrall limping behind him. They were crossing a bridge over a deep body of water onto a massive ritual site from the looks of it. Pillars built from the centre outward with a small pedestal in the middle of it and etchings along the floor. I could count at least four skeletons and I was standing from a far distance.

I turned around and looked to Zwei, his fur stained with blood. "Zwei, wait at the bottom of the stairs." Despite his meagre intelligence, the troll understood the command and followed my order; I moved to the railing just before the stairway and took aim at the master vampire's friend. As I had done dozens of time that day, I closed one eye, held my breath and took aim. The bolt wedged itself into the vampires head and he dropped to the floor with a loud 'thump.'

Zwei immediately ran for the thrall as I jumped the railing and drew my sword; the master vampire conjured his own as he began shooting fireballs at me. I managed to dodge most of them on my way across the bridge, but I was struck in the left shoulder and the ribs by two of them. The man extinguished his flames as I drew near and he conjured a second sword to wield in his other hand.

My sword bounced off his as I swung at him, and he was quick to strike back, but a dodge to the side and a horizontal swing that cut at his abdomen made him know that I was no ordinary threat. "Who are you?! How did you get here?! And more importantly, how do you have a Daedric artefact in your possession?!" I backpedalled and stood my ground as Zwei growled, the thrall having been taken care of by the time I drew my sword.

"My name is not important; all you need to know is that I work for the Dustguard. I got here by slaughtering every one of you monsters, and this 'Daedric Artefact' was a gift from my father!" I ran at him at full speed and with a war cry I lunged and tackled the man to the ground, pinning him by the shoulders. "Zwei, NOW!" Before he knew what I meant, the man's head was bitten clean off. And I heard a loud crunch as Zwei enjoyed his meal. I quickly removed myself from the nauseating site and sheathed my sword, making sure to wipe off any and all blood.

Giving the room a quick once over, I assured myself that everything was dead and I turned my attention to the pedestal in the middle of the site. What appeared to be a button sat in the middle of it, so with my index finger, I gently applied pressure to the edge of the button until I spike rose through the middle of it. I instinctively pulled my hand away and watched as a fire lit up around the room, its purple glow mesmerizing me. Before long, I saw that the fire lit up an odd, brazier like object, the fire then moved to another one, already set in the necessary position. After a few moments, all braziers in the room were a lit with the purple flame and a large monolith structure rose from a vortex in the floor.

Zwei cocked his head at it and I sighed in relief, whatever was inside was obviously the artefact I was sent to retrieve. I walked up to the smooth, stone object and placed my hand on it, marvelling at how soft it felt to the touch. When the object began to rumble and one side of it sunk into the floor, my eyes widened in shock at what I found inside.

"How am I possibly supposed to _retrieve_ this?!"


	2. Homeward Bound

Chapter 2 - Homeward Bound

I stared; slack jawed at the sight before me. A girl… no, a woman stood, arms crossed sleeping inside of the monolith, or coffin as I now knew it to be. She had long, messy blonde hair and wore strikingly similar clothes to Ruby, par the golden gauntlets adorning her arms. She was a vampire, obviously, but for some reason Zwei wasn't growling, he wasn't showing any ill will to the woman at all.

"Wait a second, is that… a Scroll?!" On the woman's back sat a thin, rectangular, black object with a small golden diamond in the middle. Before I could investigate further, the woman began to stir and her eyes opened, revealing shockingly yellow irises and a black sclera. The second she began to step out of her tomb, she lost her footing and began to fall. Instinctively I moved forward and caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Ugh… where… where am I?" She looked at me with confusion and a slight sense of desperation; I told her all that I knew.

"You're in a crypt, Dimhollow…" The woman looked to my neck and her eyes glossed over, she began to salivate and I knew what was about to happen. I gave her a flick on the forehead as she began to bare her fangs. "No! Bad vampire!" As it always had with Ruby, the flick to her head knocked the woman out of her bloodlust.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" She manages to stand on her own and brushes herself off before standing opposite me and reaching out her hand. "My name is Yang Xiao Long, who are you?" I smile and clasp her hand with my own.

"Jaune, I'm a member of the Dustguard and I've been sent to retrieve you." Yang blinked slowly as we shook hands and tilted her head in confusion.

"Dustguard? You're a vampire hunter?" I nod my head and decide to elaborate when her eyes suddenly glow red.

"Before you decide to eat me, my order only hunts the _bad _vampires, we can tell the difference. I assure you I mean no harm so long as you can say the same." Her eyes didn't return to normal as she looked me up and down, gauging whether I could be trusted. I sighed and gave her my most sincere look. "What can I do to gain your trust?" I knew I was winning her over when her eyes flickered back to yellow for a moment.

"Take me home." She answered bluntly.

"I… what?" I asked, uncertain if I understood her.

"Take me home. I'm not going to go to some fortress filled with hunters when I could just as easily leave." I take hold of Dawnbreaker and make sure _not _to draw the blade.

"I could just as easily _take _you…" Yang grinned and gave me a sultry look.

"Do you honestly think you can beat me in a fight?" We stared at each other for some time, weighing the pros and cons of working together or fighting. I like to think she came to a different conclusion than I did when I broke and agreed to do it her way.

"Fine, I'll take you home…" I let go of Dawnbreaker and usher Yang and Zwei closer. "Yang, this is Zwei, the most ferocious of our order. Zwei, this is Yang, our charge who we're taking to her home. Zwei sat down like a dog in front of the woman and happily nuzzled his head into her stomach. Yang seemed to find the act simply adorable.

"He's so _cute!_" She picked the troll up by his sides and hugged him as if he were a household teddy bear and not a literal monster. I ignored the display and decided to scout the area for an exit, the bridge I entered from collapsed after I activated the pedestal.

"Vampires are weird…" The ritual site was situated on the middle of an island within the cavern, although the main bridge had crumbled, it seemed there was a smaller bridge on the other side, leading to a much more cavernous area, hopefully the exit. I waved my hand to the mysterious woman and called her over. We stayed silent until we had crossed the bridge. "So how long have you been in that thing?" Yang laughed and scratched the back of her head.

"I've got no clue, who's the current High King of Atlas?" I thought hard on the question and did my best to remember current politics.

"There isn't one until the war is over." Yang grinned and clasped her hands together in glee.

"Who are fighting?!" I ignored the sadistic note to her voice.

"Weiss Schnee claims ownership to the throne and most of the Dynasty back in Vale agrees too. But the rebels in the White Fang stay loyal to clan Belladonna." Yang's demeanour visibly dulled at my words.

"What… Dynasty are you talking about?" I paled at her question, fearing the implications of it.

"The Dynasty in Vale…? That was formed back in the second era, eight fifty four?" Yang slowed further until she stopped completely.

"Second era?" I blinked once, grabbed her by the hand and picked up my pace.

"Let's get you home first, yeah? The quicker we figure this all out the better…" Yang spoke her agreement and be both began to jog within the cave, but no sooner than we started did a massive stone gargoyle burst from an innocent looking statue of a fake gargoyle. The beast flew right for us screaming and with its claws glowing red. I ducked under the blow while Yang flipped over it before landing a burning punch into the monster's head, burning it instantly. Another beast burst from a higher ridge and jumped at me, I rolled out of the way and sliced clean through it with Dawnbreaker, quickly sheathing the blade when I heard Yang grunt. We both stood and stared at each other in shock.

"I'm glad I didn't decide to fight _you_…" We said in unison before making our way through an archway and finding a door. Upon entering the door, we found another crypt, fairly similar to the entrance I made my way through to get here. Luckily, there were no vampires here, so we could make our way out much easier. My curiosity got the better of me, and as we walked I brought up the mammoth in the room.

"So what's with the Scroll?" I asked, almost dreading the question immediately.

"Nope." Yang answered, a childlike tone to her voice.

"And by that you mean…?" Yang grinned.

"Nope. I'm not saying." I sighed with a roll of my eyes.

'Do all vampires act the same?" After a few minutes of walking, we eventually found our way into a room that resembled a Colosseum with a ring of chairs leading up from the ground to where Yang and I stood. A large chest sat on the other side of the room, open and looted, while a wall made from far different stone to the crypt sat next to it, Grimm etchings covering the thing.

"I think I see the exit up ahead!" Following her gaze, I saw a small archway with snow blowing out of it, I turned to Yang and grinned.

"Ready to see the sun again for the first time in centuries?" Yang rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Oh joy, I can't wait…" We made our way across the final room and towards the exit, happily leaving the dank place. I took in a deep breath of fresh air as we made our way outside.

"Either air is different now or I've been in there for way too long… Probably both." I laughed at her comment as I pulled out my map and made note of our whereabouts.

"Can you point out where you live on here?" I asked, handing the map to Yang. She gave a glance to the parchment before her eyes shot open and she began to stare. I knew what she was doing and I knew I wasn't doing much to help, but I like to think it kept her grounded when I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"We'll figure this all out when we get there…" Yang nodded, wiping unshed tears from her eyes as she scanned the unfamiliar landscape. She pointed to a shore Northwest of Solitude.

"There's an island here, it's not that much of a surprise to find it's not on your map…" I got the feeling she was more well-to-do than I first thought when I learned she stayed on her own island, but I kept any comments to myself.

"That shouldn't be _too _far away…" I spoke slowly, having marked the new area on my map and taking note of how far south Dimhollow was to Solitude. "We'll have to stop by Solitude to pick up some supplies." Yang nodded as she tucked her hair into her clothes and pulled her hood up.

"We should get moving, the sun is… it's not good for my skin if you know what I mean."

* * *

The warm sun was beading down on the streets of Solitude and I found the feeling welcoming to my skin. To my left, I saw Yang panting and sizzling in the heat. I sighed and walked ahead, up to the Winking Skeever Inn. Yang was quick to follow me inside and find solace in the shade. "Barmaid, a drink please!" I ordered to an Argonian woman behind the bar as I sat Yang down at a table. "Rest up and have a drink, I'm going to go to the alchemy store next door, I'll be back soon." Yang nodded her head with a bounce, seeming to find tipsy giddiness from the cooling shade after walking so long in the sun. Her drink arrived shortly after and I left for Angeline's Aromatics. The store was inhabited by two women, one roughly my age and the other much older. "Good afternoon, do you sell bottled water here?"

"I, uhh…" The younger woman stuttered, an obvious blush on her face. The old woman smiled at the girl and left for a back door, leaving her to serve me alone. Her blush deepened and she offered a nervous smile. "Y-yes we do sell water here. "W…would you like some?" I nod my head and smile as she quickly scans under the table top. While the young woman was busy, I decided to search the shelves for anything of value. I was well stocked on my own potions, but another one or two for Yang couldn't hurt. That is of course, until I saw a blood-red vial with gold plating on it.

"Excuse me." I called out, rousing the girl from her searching.

"YES?! I mean, uhh… y-yes?"

"What is this fancy looking potion?" The girl looked at the red vial and shuddered.

"A potion of blood… Some people use them in rituals, or for certain spells. And some even drink them to sate their bloodlust, ugh… vampires. I hid my grin with surprising amounts of effort as I picked the vial up.

"How much?" The girl gave me a sceptical look, she then looked to the vial and sighed.

"Just take it, better in your hands than with some creep." As she said this, the girl dropped a crate of water bottles onto the counter. I gave her my warmest smile and handed the girl the Oum's before packing away the bottles, keeping the vial in a different pocket of the bag.

"Thank you very much, miss…"

"Scarlatina. My name is Velvet Scarlatina" I smiled wider and overpaid the girl slightly.

"Well it was a pleasure to meet you Velvet." She smiled back to me as I left the store.

"Likewise."

I walked back up the street to the Winking Skeever and entered the building to find Yang missing. I called the barmaid over to speak to her. "Excuse me, miss. Where did the woman I came in here with go?" The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"That drunk? Upstairs, first door on the left. She should still be passed out I imagine…" I thanked the woman and made my way upstairs; ignoring the thought of what Yang might've been doing while I was gone. When I opened the door, I found Yang sleeping alone on a double bed. I could already smell the alcohol on her breath. I placed my sack of potions on the table in the middle of the room and the blood vial next to the bed. Once I was sure she wouldn't wake up, I laid down on the floor against the wall and closed my eyes, ready for sleep.

I woke up to Yang shaking me and yelling in my ear to get up. When I was finally able to understand her, I stood off the floor and listened closely. "Why would you sleep on the floor when there was a very warm spot on the bed next to me?" I wracked my head for an answer as I tried to think about what she meant.

"Because I didn't want to be rude and assume you'd allow that?" Yang rolled her eyes and threw my potion sack at me.

"Well come on, it's night time now, we'll be able to travel much faster." Nodding my head, I followed after the girl, but not before looking to the bedside table to see the vial was gone. I couldn't help but notice the glow to Yang's skin as we left Solitude and headed to the Northwest. I whistled for Zwei to come as we passed the tree we left him at. "Uhh…" Yang started.

"What is it?" I replied.

"As much as I love the little guy, I think it's best if Zwei heads home." I looked down at the troll and sighed, giving him a small pat on the head.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Zwei, head back to the fort." Zwei whimpered in sadness at the order. "Aww come on, you don't want to see everyone? Rest? Get pets?" At the thought of being pet by Ruby, Zwei ran off to the Southeast, surely to go all the way back to the fort in one run. I sighed and turned around, seeing Yang show the same emotion I felt on her face, there was definitely loss in the air with the little guy gone. "Come on, we're nearly there." We passed over a few rocky ledges and eventually found our way up to the shore. I could just see the island through a thick fog, although any buildings on it were too hard to make out. A small boat was floating by a wharf and we walked towards the dingy to find it in working condition. We hopped inside and I grabbed a hold of the oars to begin rowing across the water. We crossed in silence as I could easily see the contemplative look on Yang's face, a few minutes later we arrived and departed from the boat.

"Hey uhh, can I talk to you for a second?" I turned around to face Yang, feeling worried for the girl.

"Are you alright?" Yang looked taken back from my question, but smiled nonetheless.

"Yes, I… Thank you, I'm fine. You've done a lot for me and we only met yesterday. I just wanted to say that it means a lot to me, we'll probably part ways after this. But I promise you-I _promise_-that we'll meet again." Yang walked closer to me and gave me a hug, the embrace was farm warmer than I expected from a vampire, even warmer than Ruby's hugs. But I blamed that fact on the blood Yang had just drank.

"O-of course I'll keep you to that…" I wrapped my arms around her too and we parted after a moment more. The air felt awkward after that so I turned my attention to her home and whistled. "I figured you came from high class, but I wasn't expecting a castle…" Yang laughed as we walked up the bridge to the entrance, I kept my eyes on the gargoyle statues that littered the bridge we walked.

"I don't like the place that much; I prefer the garden at the back, plenty of air to breathe and far better sights." I smiled at the thought of a vampire enjoying open air and flowers in such a decrepit place.

"Halt! Who goes… Yang? Lady Long? By the eight… H-hold on, I'll open the gate." I snickered as Yang's face turned red.

"Shall we go inside, _Lady Long?_" I asked, laughing at the girl.

"Just shut up and follow me, and don't say a word." We entered through the large doors and I stifled my giggling. A tall high elf stood in front of us and made his way over, a furious scowl on his face.

"What is the meaning of this?! Who are…? Lady Long?" I stopped myself from giggling as Yang informed the man of what happened and we followed him down a stairway and into a grand hall. "Everyone, Lady Long has returned!" I was ready to laugh once again, but my mood darkened when I saw dead bodies being eaten off tables as if they were everyday food. My sword arm was getting itchy, but luckily Yang put her hand on my shoulder to calm me, looking at her face I could tell she felt the same way I did.

"Yang, my sweet little girl, you've finally returned. And with my Scroll no less…" I saw Yang's heart break when the blonde man in the middle of the room spoke.

"Yes father, I have your Scroll…" My heart broke also when I heard her reply. Yang stood by the man who then turned his attention to me.

"Who is this stranger you've brought into our hall? And a _hunter _no less…" I tensed up when all eyes in the room were on me, but Yang stood between the man and I, far more protectively than I thought she would've.

"This is my saviour, the one who brought me here and out of my tomb." The man nodded as Yang stepped out of the way.

"I take it you expect a reward for this feat?" He asked as he sized me up and down, I simply shook my head.

"No reward is necessary sir; just knowing Yang is safe at home is reward enough for me." Yang hid her face when she heard my reply and the older man grinned.

"My name is Taiyang Xiao Long, who are you?" I stood tall and proud as I looked every vampire in the room in the eye.

"My name is Jaune; I am a member of the Dustguard. A vampire hunter." I was tempted to draw my sword and show off a little, but I knew that would only mean certain death. Taiyang laughed at my display and began to pace back and forth.

"Yes, I've heard of your order, my grunts have reported needing to deal with you from time to time, they're all very weak that lot, but you… You're strong, you have conviction," he nodded his head to Yang, "You have skill to bring her back unharmed. Let me offer you a reward, her safety may be all you need, but that only proves you deserve a little extra. I offer you the power to become a god among men, to stand above the sheep as a lion, to smite down all who oppose you. What say you in regards to this?" I looked to Yang and saw she had a fearful look on her face and I knew what my answer was already.

"What happens if I accept?" I asked, hoping to play him along and show that my convictions weren't as strong as they seemed, if only to make him underestimate me further.

"You will renounce your pitiful hunters and join our order as a Vampire Lord." I feinted interest in the proposition.

"And if I decline?" Taiyang lowered his head in disgust.

"Then you will be prey, like all mortals. And you will be banished from this court. If we see you again, we will not hold back in slaughtering you where you stand." I saw Yang pale at the thought and I knew whoever this man was, he was definitely my enemy.

"I refuse your offer, Taiyang. I will not become a vampire." Yang offered me a quick smile before Taiyang growled and waved his hand at me, I saw the world swirl and everything faded to black.

* * *

I awoke back on the shore of the mainland. I stood up to look out at the island again, but I couldn't see anything through the fog, and the dingy was now missing, barring my entrance. It was pretty obvious that there was nothing I could do here, so I turned on my heel and headed back to the fort. "It's gonna be a long trip…"

When I finally arrived back, two days later, I found my welcome home was an ambush by more of the dead monsters.

"Die human!" One of them screamed as he raised his axe above him, I decided to leave this up to the others that were fighting when his chest spontaneously exploded with a light equal to the sun. My sudden plan was thwarted just as suddenly though, when three more of the beasts flanked me from the sides. Drawing Dawnbreaker, I stabbed one and jumped back as she exploded and burnt the other two instantly. Surveying the area once more, I saw that everything dead was dead for certain now, and I made my way up the slope to the door of the fort, mindful of the bodies and ash lining the path.

"JAUNE!" I heard Ruby scream as she tackled me to the floor in a hug. "Where have you been?! We thought you died when Zwei came back without you!" I gave the girl a hug in return as I slowly picked her off me and placed her on the floor.

"It was quite the adventure, sorry to worry you though. I-" Ozpin cut me off with a small cough before I could continue.

"Jaune, I understand you must be tired from your trip, but I'd like you to come with me for briefing before you do anything else." Ruby and I both understood the message, so I followed Ozpin up the spiral staircase, alone, and made my way into his quarters. "Now tell me, what happened?"

"Well…" I recounted every detail from the trip that I could remember, from the vampires in Dimhollow, to Yang, our stop in Solitude, the reason we sent Zwei back alone and the Scroll fastened to Yang's back. When I finished, Ozpin showed no emotion on his face, I knew he wasn't upset, or even angry. What he was feeling was fear.

"Thank you Jaune, I'll call for you again when I need you." I nodded my head and made for the exit. "Oh, and don't speak a word of your adventure to anybody, especially Ruby." I stopped in my tracks at his order, and felt the need to protest, but I didn't need to see his face to know the look he'd have in his eyes.

"Yes sir." I left for my own quarters immediately.

The next day, while I was out in the field performing my daily Destruction practices, Oobleck busted the door to the fort open and called for me. I was in the middle of throwing a fireball at the time, so I screamed as the spell exploded in my hand.

I did my best to ignore Oobleck's lecture as I followed him to the main hall.

"What's going on this time? Another mission?" I asked, looking around the room to find everyone occupying it.

"Indeed," Ozpin said, "you and Ruby are to leave first thing tomorrow morning." I smiled, knowing I'd have a companion that could speak helped calm my nerves.

"Where are we going?" Ruby asked excitedly. Ozpin simply smiled.

"To find some new recruits."


	3. Bolstering the Ranks

Chapter - 3 Bolstering the Ranks

"An Alchemist and a Gladiator, huh?" Ruby thought out loud as we made our first stop at Ivarstead.

"Yep, Ozpin said the Alchemist would be in Solitude and the Gladiator in Whiterun." I replied, getting off my horse and heading to the inn for a water refill. "What do you think they'll be like?" Ruby smiled and looked to the side, her eyes shimmering with imagination.

"I bet the Gladiator will be a massive, strong man who helps the weak and saves the day on a daily basis." Ruby turned back to me and grinned, "You know, the opposite of you." I scoffed and turned my head in offense.

"I'll have you know we're one step closer to saving the day by going on our little search here. The more people we find to help us, the better." Ruby smiled and nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Wait, before we go in…" I turned around to face the girl, but instead of her usual pale skin and black eyes, Ruby looked far more beautiful, with glowing, tan skin and silver eyes.

"Wh-what? How did you..."

"Illusion magic, this is what I looked like before becoming a vampire, we can't have someone attacking us out in the open, can we?" I nodded as I slowly swallowed hard.

'Just calm down, Jaune, yes she's beautiful but you can't think of her like that…'

"Come on, let's just grab that water and head out." Ruby laughed while following me inside.

"Oh, you mortals and your need for sustenance." I overheard some people talking as I asked for the bartender to refill my canister.

"On a Pilgrimage you say? To see the Greybeards?" A man asked a woman cloaked in black.

"Yes, I need their insight, I fear I've made a grave mistake and I hope they can help me rectify it." The woman replied, her voice low and filled with regret.

"Well, good luck to you then, The Seven Thousand Steps are never an easy climb, but you look nimble enough to handle it." The woman made a sound of confirmation as she took her drink and walked away.

"I've been there before, don't worry." As she made her way passed me, I managed to see a strand of black hair and golden eyes. Whoever the girl was, she clearly had an agenda, but I put the thought behind me as the bartender handed me my water and we left the inn.

Roughly three hours passed before we reached Whiterun, Ruby and I left our horses at a stable and made our way into the city, but not before a guard stopped us in our tracks.

"Halt, what purpose do you have in the city of Whiterun?" I was surprised that there was such high security for the city, but remembered my own purpose there and understood. If the vampires were willing to attack the fort, they were going to attack the cities too.

"We're from the Dawnguard, we've been sent to find a Gladiator of unmatched skill within Whiterun." I couldn't see his face through the helmet, but it was obvious that the man's eyebrows rose.

"Here to see the Companions then? Alright, head up to Jorrvaskr, you'll find them there." I tilted my head as he unlocked the gates.

"Your Vaas car?"

"The upside down Nordic warship, you'll know it when you see it."

I nodded my head in confusion as Ruby and I opened the gates into the city. I had never been to Whiterun before, but I could see why so many people visited it, the place just gave off a feeling of… serenity. Ruby didn't seem so impressed though.

"Come on, let's head to Jorrvaskr, I know the way." Ruby took me by the hand and led me passed a few buildings and up some stairs to a massive upside down Nordic warship.

"Huh, I take it you've been here before?" Ruby nodded as we walked the stairs and stopped at the door.

"I've been all over Vytal; places like this are a little mundane once you've visited Vacuo. Houses made from trees beat ships any day." I tilted my head in confusion and knock on the door.

"Aren't all houses made from trees?" Ruby rolled her eyes as the door opened.

"I mean they hollow out trees and live in them as they are." I was about to ask further on the subject, but I was stopped when a voice interrupted our conversation.

"Who are you?" The commanding voice asked, clearly impatient with us. Looking up, I saw that the person speaking was a woman with long red hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a fairly revealing set of armour.

"Oh, uhh. We're representatives from the Dustguard, we've been sent to find a… 'Gladiator of unmatched skill.' We were also told that we'd find them here." The woman rolled her eyes and glared at the two of us.

"Look, I don't know who sent you and I don't care. You can tell them to shove their invitation up their ass. I'm _not _leaving the Companions to join some other group of fighters." The woman went to slam the door on us, but Ruby quickly put her foot between the door and the wall.

"Miss, please! We've travelled very long and far to reach you, could you at least here us out?" I couldn't tell if Ruby was acting or not, because she sounded _very _desperate. The woman looked between her arm applying pressure to the door and Ruby's unmoving foot before she sighed and let up.

"You have ten minutes."

After explaining the situation to the girl, who eventually told us her name was Pyrrha, she seemed less interested in throwing us out of the city and more interested in learning the motives of the Dustguard.

"So tell me again, you hunt vampires, all of them?" I shook my head and Ruby sighed.

"No, we basically deal with any problems that threaten the world, and at the moment, that just so happens to be a very specific group of vampires. We understand that not all vampires are evil." Pyrrha sighed and held her hand to her chest, looking very relieved.

"Oh thank The Nine, I was wondering why you were traveling with one, I thought for a second there that you didn't know she was a vampire." Pyrrha laughed softly at the thought as Ruby blinked and paled, and my jaw slowly dropped a few inches.

"Wait… how do you know she's a vampire?" Pyrrha gave me a confused look and tilted her head to the side.

"The same way I know you're a werewolf. We have a heightened sense of smell you know. I could even tell if you're lying right now." My mind went blank as Ruby started to laugh.

"Jaune's not a werewolf, don't be silly." I awkwardly laughed with her.

"Yeah, I can assure you I'm not one of them." Pyrrha's eyes widened.

"You're… not lying. But you smell _exactly _like one of our kind…" I shrugged my shoulders and pointed a thumb at Ruby.

"She keeps a pet troll around the fort at all times and we have a bunch of dogs there as well. Maybe you smell some odd combination of that?" Pyrrha sniffed the air around us once more and clenched her eyes shut.

"Maybe… it's not important either way. My main question here is why these vampires are such a threat?" I realised we were ignoring the subject of Pyrrha being a werewolf and simply moving on with the conversation, so I clenched my hand and looked her in the eye.

"Because they're bold. They've been attacking the major cities, as well as random passer-by's in the streets. The Vigilant's of Geoff are a main target of theirs as well. Worst thing is… they've got a Scroll, and we have no idea what they intend to do with it. We need all the help we can get if we're going to take them down." Pyrrha took on a look of thought after my little speech, and so I waited for her to make up her mind. Ruby began to shift side to side while I fidgeted with my fingers.

I took a breath to say something, but stopped myself short and waited a while longer. Pyrrha was taking her sweet time to make up her mind. That is until she suddenly started laughing.

"Alright, I'm in." Ruby and I blinked simultaneously.

"Wait, what? That easy?" Pyrrha smiled and laughed somewhat louder.

"Every time someone wants me to join their little faction, they ask me to join, I take a moment to think and then they interrupt me to make sure I join. I was just making sure you'd wait to let me finish thinking. That way I can tell whether you're desperate and smart, or just plain desperate. So I'll join." I tried to make sense of her reasoning, but Ruby decided to ignore it and simply stand up to shake the girl's hand.

"Then welcome to the Dustguard Pyrrha, you'll feel right at home, I promise!" Pyrrha shook her hand back with a smile.

"Glad to be here."

* * *

Ignoring my many questions after recruiting Pyrrha, I decided it was best for us to move on to Solitude as quickly as possible. Pyrrha agreed wholeheartedly and decided she would be joining us to the city. I wasn't going to say no to the extra company, so we were on our horses and heading Northwest within the hour.

It was a long ride from Whiterun to Solitude, but it was made infinitely shorter with the conversations between Ruby and Pyrrha. Despite everyone's opinion on the subject, it turned out vampires and werewolves actually got along great. Out of the group, I was definitely the one with the worst perception, Ruby could hear a pin drop from a kilometre away while Pyrrha was able to smell anything and know what it is, where it is exactly, and what it had for lunch the previous day.

Yet I was still the one left to determine if anything was nearby or following us as the other two were wrapped up in a sparkling conversation about the anatomy of trolls. I had a terrible feeling Pyrrha was going to love Zwei…

"What is it with girls and trolls…" I whispered to myself as the White Palace came into view. "Oh, hey guys! We're here!" Ruby and Pyrrha didn't take too kindly to being interrupted, but they decided to forgive me for my apparently monstrous behaviour seeing as we were so close to our destination.

"So we're looking for an Alchemist in Solitude?" Pyrrha asked, "Do you have any idea where to start?" She continued as we got off our horses and tied them up in a stable.

"I know exactly where to start." I answered without looking back to the girls, and walked through the massive wooden doors into the capital of Atlas. Pyrrha and Ruby wordlessly followed behind as we made our way down the street and up to a familiar looking store.

"Won't it be a little easy if we find our Alchemist in the first Alchemy store we come across?" Ruby asked warily as I knocked on the door and walked inside.

"_Hellooooo~_" I called out in the most sing-song voice I could muster. "I'm looking for an Alchemist, brown hair, brown eyes, super adorable." The old woman behind the counter smiled and turned to a door in the back.

"Velvet! A boy is here to see you!" She called out and not soon after did the girl we were looking for walk through the door with a crate in her hands.

"What are you talking about An- OH!" Velvet nearly dropped the crate because she was so surprised to see me, but luckily she managed to catch herself before losing any merchandise. "Hello, Jaune…"

"Hi there, Velvet." I sad with a warm smile, "I've been meaning to talk to you." I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks as I scratched the back of my neck lightly. "This may sound a little weird…"

I could see Velvet begin to blush as well and immediately berated myself for coming off so forward when she'd obviously get the wrong idea. I sighed and looked her dead in the eye.

"What I'm trying to say is… I'm actually a member of a brigand of vampire hunters who have been killing off vampires that are hunting down people in the streets and we recently uncovered that the cult we're targeting has a Scroll in their possession and I was tasked with finding new recruits and that an Alchemist was needed among them so I decided that you would be the perfect addition and I want you to join us in our cause." I gasped as hard and loud as I could to refill my now completely empty lungs, "So what do you say?"

In her shocked silence, Velvet actually did drop the box this time, the alchemical ingredients and potions splaying all across the floor. I quickly apologized and helped put everything back into the crate, then placed it on the counter next to the equally shocked older woman and turned back to Velvet.

"I… what?" Velvet asked, a look of what seemed to be fear etched on her face. Ruby stepped closer to the girl and pulled her into a one armed hug, clearly worried for her.

"Sorry to drop all of that on you so suddenly, but as Jaune said, we could really use your help…"

"Now hold on just a minute!" Velvet yelled, her shock and fear having seemed to vanish. She walked over to the door she came from and opened it, gesturing for us to enter. "You're going to explain, _in detail," _she gave me a small glare, "everything that you're doing and plan on doing." She walked into the backroom, her teacher, or mother or whoever she was following after her.

Pyrrha and Ruby both gave me wary looks and I gave a confused shrug in return before following after the two and sitting down at a table in the back of the shop.

"Alright…" Ruby started, "I guess this would be the best way to put it…"

After explaining everything to Velvet that was said to Pyrrha earlier, Ruby leaned back in her chair and stayed silent as Velvet and Angeline pondered the implications of it all.

"So… what exactly would I be doing if I were to join you?" I was relieved to hear that she was at least considering it, and so with a smile on my face, I gave the best response I could.

"No idea." When she looked at me with that flat expression of hers, I decided to enunciate further. "That is to say… you would most likely help with making potions and tending the garden and, occasionally… go on hunts to kill hoards upon hoards of bloodthirsty, murderous vampires…" I felt my voice straining with every word that left my mouth as Velvet looked less and less amused.

"But," Ruby interjected, coming to the rescue and practically saving my life in my eyes, "You would also travel all over Atlas and even Vytal. There's a whole world out there for you to explore and you can do it with the Dustguard."

"As well as… you know, saving the world." Pyrrha added in at the end. All in all, I felt it was a rousing speech and the way Angeline smiled at us made me think she thought so too.

"Get out." Angeline said; that same hospitable smile on her face.

"Wh…wha?" I replied, my diverse vocabulary coming in at just the right moment.

"I said get out, leave. I don't want you in my shop anymore." I was shocked to hear the woman sounding so scornful, and from the looks of everyone else, even Velvet, they were too.

"But, Teacher, don't you think at least-" Velvet was interrupted by the sound of a fist hitting wood.

"Vampires, Velvet. _Vampires! _Those monsters took my husband from me and I will _not _let them take you as well!" I suddenly felt like a dick for not being so considerate as to think of what the other person we were explaining all of this to might have thought.

The room was silent as no one dared say anything lest Angeline roared again, so without any delay, I stood up and motioned for the others to follow. Velvet nodded to me and mouthed the words 'Wait outside' as we left the room and shut the door. I followed her instructions and held the girls up once we exited the store. We waited there silently, not a word spoken between us.

Eventually, after what only felt like ten minutes, the door opened and Velvet stepped outside.

"I spoke with her and… she fired me." My eyes widened and I took a step back in shock.

"She _fired _you?! For what?!" I saw a bittersweet smile make its way onto her face as she looked at me.

"Because I decided I was joining you, and she didn't want anything holding me back." Without another word, Velvet stepped in front of us and began walking down the road to the gates back out of Solitude. "Well?" She asked, "Aren't you coming?"

We all frowned at each other, I was questioning whether we made the right choice and I could tell they were too, but when Velvet called out again for us to hurry up with a wide grin on her face, I knew for a fact that she was our Alchemist.

* * *

After a two day ride, we were finally back at the fort, it was a perilous journey, but we made it through and completed our quest. Ruby was grinning from ear to ear, Pyrrha was admiring the architecture of the fort, Velvet was admiring the animals running through the trees, and I was admiring the ground as I slouched over my horse feeling half dead and ready for bed.

We all tied the reigns of each respective horse of ours at the stable and walked up the path to the door. Ruby was explaining the details of the history of the Dustguard while also detailing the layout and strategic positions throughout the fort.

My mind was set on simply getting inside.

As we finally made our way up the unnecessarily long slope to the steps to the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and threw the wooden barriers open.

"She's a Vampire!" I heard Glynda call out.

"She's wearing the cult's robes!" Oobleck added.

"Kill her!" Port screamed as he rushed into the middle of the room.

I quickly ran inside and stopped when I saw the light from the open roof filtering into the building and a woman literally smoking in the middle of it.

"What's going on here?!" I yelled when I saw everyone draw their weapons. I heard Ruby and Pyrrha draw theirs behind me as well before one soft voice called out amongst the silence.

"Jaune…?" The woman asked before lowering her hood and facing me fully.

"Yang?!" I asked, bewildered by her presence.

"It _is_ you!" Yang burst out as she ran towards me at speeds faster than I could follow. She tackled me in a hug, but luckily I managed to spin and twirl her around before I fell. I hugged her back and let her fall to the ground as she looked me in the eye.

"Tell your friends to back off; I'm not here to fight!" I nodded my head and let go of her before walking into the middle of the room.

"Guys! It's okay! This is the girl I found in Dimhollow!" Everyone's eyes shot open wide as they looked between each other warily. They looked up to the higher level and I followed their gaze to see Ozpin next to the control of the roof.

"Oh…" He said softly, readjusting his glasses. "So she is. Well, I trust you can introduce everyone." I facepalmed as the old fool slowly made his way down the stairs and called the others to join him in the centre of the room.

Ozpin, Glynda, Port and Oobleck stood on one side of the room. Ruby, Pyrrha and Velvet were on the other while Yang and I were stuck in the middle.

I took in a deep breath for what felt like the umpteenth time that day and looked up. "Guys, this is Velvet, Pyrrha and Yang, Yang, this is Ozpin, Glynda, Oobleck, Port and-"

"_RUBY?!" _Yang screamed louder than I had heard anything in my life.

"Wait… _Yang?!_" Ruby screamed back with an equally high pitch. The two girls bolted towards each other and hugged the second they got close enough.

"_I thought you were dead!_" They yelled in unison as tears streamed down their faces. Everyone in the room looked perplexed, and so I asked the question on everyone's minds.

"You two know each other?"


End file.
